Time for the mayor to run schools

Compared against 30 other top nations in a world study reported in 2007, we’re 25th in math and 21st in science. Within the U.S., California ranks 47th in the nation; down from 46th the year before. We lead Mississippi but trail Alaska and Alabama.

In other words, California is at the bottom of the nation, which is near the bottom of the world.

Education expert Diane Ravitch is on the record saying, “Mayoral control is no solution to poor academic performance. It may or may not lead to better, more efficient provision of services.” But it sure tells you whom to hold accountable.

Boston, New York City, Chicago and Cleveland are among those cities taking control of their schools. And the trend toward mayoral control is growing.

Kenneth Wong, a Brown University education professor, examined test scores of the 100 largest school districts from 1999 to 2003 and found that students in mayor-controlled school systems often perform better than those in other urban systems. Test scores in mayor-run districts are rising “significantly,” he says.

All cities – big cities in particular – need to think seriously about taking control of their schools.

Eger is Van Deerlin Endowed Chair of Communications and Public policy in the School of Journalism and Media Studies at San Diego State University and director of The Creative Economy Initiative.